CHANDIGARH: The Akali Dal (Budal) is under attack for going away {rom the principles on which the party was founded way back in 1920, Claiming to be the inheritor of those founding principles is the newly constituted Akali Dal (Panthic) under the aegis of the Panthic Council of the Sant Samaj representing the Sikh religious leaders.

Addressing a news conference here last week after a two-day deliberations at Anandpur Sahib, chief spokesman of the Panthic Council, Darshan Singh, former Jathedar of Akal Takht, the supreme Sikh institution for prayer: and politics, said the lust for power had made these traditional leaders to backtrack on the principles on which the party was founded thus changing the very character of the party. He said he would not object to Akali Dal (Badal) president Parkash Singh Badal christening his party as Punjabi Party but he should not claim himself to head the party representing the Sikhs.

When pointed out that the Sikhs had given a massive mandate to Akali Dal (Badal) in the Lok Sabha elections thereby giving legitimacy to the change, he said it was a negative vote against the Congress and the poetic had no other alternative. He pointed out that Badal went even against this mandate after the polls by opting for Bharatiya Janata Party at the national level.

He released a letter addressed to him as Jathedar of Akal Takht by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gurcharan Singh Tohra on April 26, 1989 expressing his apprehensions about Badal betraying the basic principles of the party. Tohra had referred to a meeting of the party scheduled for April 29 in which, he feared, the basic principles would be abandoned with an eye on the votes. Tohra had pointed out that the then proposed amendments in the party constitution would alter the very Panthic character of Akali Dal which would be damaging for the future of the Sikhs.

Darshan Singh regretted that Ti forgetting his own letter had sided with Badal. He said Akali Dal (Panthic) would join hands with all the regional parties which support the demand for more powers to the states and extend issue based support to the Deve Gowda government at the national level. The presence of Akali Dal (Panthic) president Sant Ajit Singh at the news conference was just ceremonial as all the talking was done by Darshan Singh.

He announced a 31member working committee. The members include Gurtej Singh, former IAS officer, Harbant Singh Kahlon, Harcharan Singh Rode, Atinderpal Singh, former MP, Rajdey Singh, former MP, Tik Singh Sandhu, Gurkirpal Singh, Manjit Singh Tarn Tarani, Sarbjit Singh Jammu, Harinder Singh Kahlon, Bhagwan Singh, Kanwar Singh Dhami, Jasbir Kaur, Darshan Singh Mand, former MP and Shivcharan Singh Sammewali.

Other members are Balbir Singh, Gurdip Singh, Gurdey Singh, Jagjit Singh, Sukhinder Singh, Inderjit Singh, Hari Singh, Jaswant Singh, Inder Singh Khaira, Sat Sarup Singh and Virsa Singh.

Article extracted from this publication >>  June 12, 1996